The Akhil Karnataka Nela Jala Parisara Samrakshana Vedike and residents of Kukkehalli and surrounding villages have demanded the closure of a fish processing unit at Kukkehalli, which, they said, had polluted water and was responsible for health problems.
Addressing presspersons here on Friday, Srilatha U. Shetty, President of State unit of Akhil Karnataka Nela Jala Parisara Samrakshana Vedike, said the unit started operating in Kukkehalli about 10 years ago without proper permissions from the Gram Panchayat.
Ever since this unit started functioning, the life of people in Kukkehalli and its surrounding villages such as Punchur, Kambalmajalu, Cholebettu and Cherkady has been affected. This is because the unit releases effluents in the nearby Madisal rivulet. Even two government wells in Kukkehalli have been affected.
When the Vedike questioned the Gram Panchayat about the operation of the unit, the GP said it had not given its nod. The Vedike will stage a day-long dharna against the unit on March 19, she said.
Ramchandra Bhat, resident of Kukkehalli, said people of Kukkehalli had approached the District Administration and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board on this issue. But their plea had fallen on deaf ears.
“Having access to clean drinking water is our constitutional right. The KSPCB is misleading the district administration on this issue. If this matter is not resolved, we the people of Kukkehalli and surrounding villages will boycott the forthcoming Assembly elections,” he said.
Sanjeev Naik, A. Umesh Kumar, Udaykumar Shetty, Nityananda Shetty, office bearers of the Vedike, were present.
